1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvements in the field of retailing, and more particularly to advantageous aspects of an improved display unit for bulky, heavy hardware, such as trailer hitches, trailer hitch accessories, and the like.
2. Description of Prior Art
Shelf management is an important part of the retail business. It is desirable for retail items to be shelved in a manner that allows customers to easily view and select among the shelved items. In addition, from the retailer's point of view, it is desirable for a retail shelf to hold as many items as possible in a stable configuration, and for goods in the shelf display to be easily replaced as they are sold. It is further desirable for a retailer to be able to easily count how many items of various types are in a given shelf display.
For a number of reasons, it has been problematic for a retail store to effectively display trailer hitch hardware on a shelf. Hitching a trailer to a motor vehicle typically requires a number of different pieces of hardware, including hitch balls, ball mounts, locking pins, and the like. Trailer hitch hardware typically is available in a number of different sizes and shapes, depending upon the particular trailer and motor vehicle to be hitched together. Further, certain pieces of trailer hitch hardware, such as ball mounts, may have shapes that make it difficult to stack or otherwise arrange the hardware on a shelf.